Manhunting (19 page)

They lay shuddering in each other’s arms, until he could move, could reach down to pull the sheet over them, holding her close.

“I’m never going to get enough of you,” Kate whispered, fighting for her breath. “Not if we make love forever.”

He kissed her, murmuring her name as her lips touched his, and then they fell asleep, exhausted, in each other’s arms.

When Kate awoke the next morning, Jake was still asleep. He was warm and solid next to her, and she put her cheek against his chest and thought of the night before; of how they’d laughed and slept and then made love again when Jake reached for her suddenly in the middle of the night, needing her so, touching off an equal need in her that they had both moved in frenzy to sate. They were perfect. She wanted him again.

He slept deeply beside her, exhausted to the point of oblivion. She eased herself out of bed, still feeling him throbbing in every cell of her body. He was so exhausted, she couldn’t bear to wake him, but she needed his touch, needed to feel some relief on her body. She wrapped herself in his robe and walked down to the lake.

The sun wasn’t up yet; there was only a faint pinkness in the sky. When she got to the edge of the lake, she dropped the robe and walked in, feeling the chill water bring her nerves to life. Jake made her feel this way.

Jake.

She plunged into the water, feeling the shock all over her body. Then she swam out to the middle of the lake, diving and twisting through its liquid coolness until all her heat and need were gone.

When she turned to go in, Jake was sitting where he’d been before, this time dressed only in his jeans. Just the sight of him made her breathless, hot again, and she forced herself to breathe deep before she swam to him.

She stopped when she was shoulder-deep in the water.

“Hello,” she said.

“Morning,” he said.

“Did you come to watch?”

He smiled, and she loved him so much she felt dizzy.

“Don’t do that,” she said. “I’ll drown.”

He shook his head. “I came to swim.”

“Come on in.” She gestured behind her. “Plenty of room.”

“Are you naked?”

“Oh, yes. See?” She moved forward to him, walking slowly out of the lake. His eyes never left her body.

“I’ll go in...when you come out,” he said, and she laughed and moved toward him.

She walked up on the shore and stood beside him on the blanket. He was only inches away from her, just like before. But this time he leaned forward, resting his head on her stomach, sliding his hands up to her hips, and very gently licked his tongue into her.

The world reeled around her and she clutched at his shoulders. He looked up at her, standing shivering and wet in the pale dawn light. “That’s what I wanted to do that morning,” he said huskily, and pulled her down into his arms.

“You were the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.” He stroked his hand across her stomach. “I can’t believe I’ve been so dumb about you.” He dropped his head down to hers and kissed her, cradling her in his lap.

“I’ve been dumb, too,” she said softly. “Me and my plan.” She cuddled closer.

“You were never going to find anybody to fit that plan,” Jake said, holding her.

“Well, actually, I did,” Kate said. “Rick Roberts was perfect for it.”

Jake frowned at her. “If he was perfect, what are you doing naked with me?”

Kate grinned. “He was perfect for the plan. You’re perfect for me. Go figure.” She pulled his head down to her and kissed him, and he sighed and held her close.

“I should go to work,” he said. “But maybe I’ll take the day off.”

Kate rolled out of his arms and grabbed for the robe as she stood. “Go to work,” she said. “I’ll still be around when you get off.”

When Kate got back to her cabin, Penny was sitting on the step, looking unhappy.

“Can I talk to you, Kate?” she asked.

“Of course.” She sat down beside Penny. “What’s wrong, honey?”

“I was with Mark last night.”

“Well, that’s nice. I think Mark is terrific.”

“So do I,” Penny said mournfully. “And I was with Mark
all
of last night.”

“Well, good,” Kate said, and then, as the full import of what Penny was saying hit her, she added, “Oh. Not good.”

“He’s so sweet, and he makes me laugh,” Penny said.

“Like a good friend,” Kate suggested, thinking of Jake.

“And when he makes love to me, I lose my mind.”

“Like a really good friend,” Kate said, thinking of Jake.

“I think I’m in love with him.”

“Well, that’s great,” Kate said, stealing a look at Penny. She didn’t look happy. “Isn’t it?”

“No,” Penny said. “I’m getting married to Allan next month, remember.”

“Well, yes, I remember. But, don’t you think,” Kate suggested cautiously, “that maybe, with this new development and all, you might be better off with Mark than with Allan?”

Penny shook her head. “Mark’s in college. I’d have to wait years for a baby.”

“Well, babies are great, of course,” Kate said, “but I really think you’d be better off forgetting about the baby part and concentrating on the man part.”

“I don’t know.” Penny looked confused. “I feel just awful about this. I’ve never cheated on Allan before.”

“Well, maybe that’s because you’ve never loved anyone before,” Kate said, trying not to sound like the dating-advice column in
Seventeen.
“Why don’t you spend some time with Mark and see how things work out. Maybe the feeling will wear off.”

“Do you think so?” Penny asked.

“I hope so,” Kate said, thinking of Jake. “We’re in a real mess if it doesn’t.” She patted Penny on the leg.

“Come on. Let’s have lunch and play tennis and forget about men for a while.”

Kate played tennis with Penny for most of the afternoon because she wanted to move. She’d never felt so alive, so conscious of every part of her body. She and Penny swatted the ball back and forth without keeping score, laughing at each other and enjoying the afternoon sun and the sweat and their friendship. Several men stopped to stare, and Kate waited for Penny to drift over to them, but Penny stuck her tongue between her teeth and concentrated on returning the ball, oblivious to her admirers.

“I’m having so much fun,” she told Kate when they stopped to towel off.

“Me, too,” Kate said. “I think we’re getting better.”

“We couldn’t get much worse,” Penny said and laughed.

They went back to the court, and Kate grinned when she saw the men lined up at the chain-link fence to watch Penny serve. It never occurred to her that they were watching her, too.

At three, they walked to the bar in the hotel dining room for cold drinks, laughing and talking and swinging their rackets at nothing.

“This was a good day,” Penny said as they went into the cool dimness.

“That it was,” Kate said. She waved to Mark behind the bar. “Two colas. Non-diet. The hard stuff. Penny and I live on the edge.”

Mark grinned at both of them as he poured the colas and Penny blushed. When he saw her turn pink, he blushed, too.

“We’ll sit over here at a table,” Kate said, trying to hide her grin. “We’re too tired to balance on barstools.”

Penny found a table in the corner and waited until Kate had joined her. “What am I going to do?”

“Do you have a choice?” Kate said. “Are you really going to be able to go back and marry Allan, feeling this way about Mark?”

“Maybe it’s just a crush,” Penny said.

“Maybe,” Kate said. “But—”

“Hi, can I join you?” Valerie sank down in the chair next to them. “I’m just about at my wits’ end.”

“Oh?” Kate said, annoyed at the interruption. She looked over at Penny and saw that even she was frowning. It took someone with extremely bad social skills to annoy Penny. Valerie was hitting on all cylinders today.

“What’s wrong?” Penny asked politely.

“What else? Men!” Valerie gave a short laugh. “Mark!” she called, without looking around. “Gin and tonic!”

Penny glared at her.

“Any man in particular?” Kate asked hastily, checking Penny for weapons. There didn’t seem to be much she could do with a drinking glass unless she broke it on the edge of the table and used the jagged edge to go for Valerie’s jugular. Kate pulled the glass out of Penny’s reach just in case.

“Will!” Valerie said with real venom. “I can’t believe he’s so stupid.”

“Will never struck me as stupid,” Kate said.

“Well, he is. He refuses to talk about the new bar, and the longer we sit on that idea, the more money we’re losing. And I’ve done everything but flat-out tell him that another hotel is trying to hire me away, and he just ignores me.” She ended her tirade on a wail. “It’s like he doesn’t care.”

“Maybe he doesn’t,” Penny said.

“Of course he does,” Valerie snapped. “Damn it, I have a plan here!”

“Don’t say that!” Kate said, wincing.

Mark brought Valerie her gin and tonic and winked at Penny before he went back to the bar.

“Yeah, plans are for the birds,” Penny said morosely.

“What are you two talking about?” Valerie asked.

“Well, I have this friend, see?” Penny said, shooting a look at Kate that said “Shut up.”

“And she had a plan to marry a really steady wealthy guy so she could stay home and be a housewife and mother and have a lot of kids because that’s what she really wanted. You know?”

“No,” Valerie said. “But if that’s what she wants, what the hell.”

“And she found the perfect guy,” Penny said gloomily. “And then she went and fell in love with a poor guy who’s never going to have much money and won’t be able to have kids with her for years.”

“So what’s the problem?” Valerie asked.

“What?” Kate said.

Valerie shrugged. “She stays with the rich guy. Love doesn’t last. Money does if you know how to manage it.” She looked at Penny. “Tell your friend to dump the poor guy, marry the rich guy, and take night courses in investing. That’s what I’d do.”

“I’m sure you would,” Kate said. “Don’t you love Will?”

“Well, of course I love Will,” Valerie said.

“What if he didn’t have the hotel?” Kate asked. “What if he ran the hardware store?”

Valerie thought about it. “Depends on the size of the hardware store, I guess. And what I could do with it.”

Kate tilted her head and looked at Valerie appraisingly. “This isn’t about money, is it?”

“What?” Valerie asked, confused.

“It’s not the money, although you want that, too. It’s the hotel and the wheeling and dealing and making plans. That’s what hooks you.”

“I guess,” Valerie said. “What are you talking about?”

“Because that’s what hooks me, too,” Kate said. “I need the challenge. I can’t just sit out on a lake and watch the fish for the rest of my life. I need to play the game.” She bit her lip. “I hate it, but that’s me.”

“Why hate it?” Valerie looked at her like she was crazy. “You’re terrific at what you do.”

“Yes, but now it’s getting in the way of what I want,” Kate said.

“I can’t believe you ever let anything get in the way of what you want,” Valerie said. “I really admire that in you.”

“Thank you, Valerie,” Kate said, standing . “Excuse me a minute. I need another cola. This one with rum, I think.”

That night at Nancy’s was a madhouse, and Kate served drinks until she was dizzy. Three days ago, she’d been a customer. Tonight she was a pro.

She took a beer and a wine cooler to Brad and his date, and he grinned at her and said, “Thanks, Kate.”

Three days ago he’d been groping her. Now it was “Thanks, Kate.” He’d better leave a big tip.

She poured colas with rum and without. She plopped olives into martinis and dipped tequila glasses in salt. She filled the pretzel bowls on the bar over and over again. She carried drinks all over the bar, neatly dodging hands that came up to pat her rear end, telling drunks their next drink was coffee, taking several orders at once and delivering them without a mistake.

I’m pretty good at this,
she thought. It was a nice thought, and as she was feeling particularly happy anyway, and as she happened to be passing Jake as he bent over the pool table, she patted him on the rear end to celebrate.

He miscued.

“God, I hope you stay forever,” Ben told her, and she laughed and went on to serve drink after drink after drink.

Jake watched her as she threaded her way through the crowd, smiling at everyone, leaving a trail of grins behind her. She looked like she belonged there. She did belong there. With him.

Then, like an evil curse, the thought intruded:
What would she do here? There’s nothing for her here. And you remember what happened the last time you fell for a smart blonde with a great body? It didn’t last. What makes you think you’re any smarter this time?

“Are you going to play pool?” Ben asked.

“Yeah,” Jake said shortly, and shoved his thoughts about the future away. He’d think about that later. Much later. After all, he wasn’t even sure how he felt about her.

He looked up to see Kate walking past Brad, who reached out a hand and caught her on the rear end before she had time to swerve. She spilled some beer on him, and he laughed.

Jake put down his cue.

“Back in a minute,” he told Ben and walked over to Brad.

He put one hand on the back of Brad’s chair and the other on the table in front of him and leaned over.

Brad looked up.

“Hey, Jake,” he said happily.

“Don’t touch Kate,” Jake said.

Brad looked up, and his smile faded.

“If you get my drift,” Jake added gently.

“Got it.” Brad nodded. “Sorry about that.”

“No problem.” Jake patted him on the back and ambled back to the pool table. Ben rested on his cue and grinned at him.

“It was a lot easier when we could just brand ‘em,” Ben said. “Then everybody’d know not to mess with our womenfolk.”

“Shut up and play pool.” Jake picked up his cue.

“I never thought I’d see you lay claim to a woman,” Ben needled him. “Right in front of the whole bar and everything.”

“I just don’t think she should have to put up with that.” Jake glared at him, annoyed. “Are you going to play pool or not?”